Closure attachment means



Jan. 23, 1945. SEVERS 2,367,896

CLOSURE ATTACHMENT MEANS Filed Dec. 28, 1942 2 SheetsSheet l Q I m 9 IN! 'ENTOR. C. F. SIEVERS ATTOR EYS 5- c. F. SIE VERS CLOSURE ATTACHMENT MEANS Filed Dec. 28, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. FIG. 7 c. F. SIEVERS A 'I'TORNE Y5 Patented Jan. 23, 1945 CLOSURE ATTACHMENT MEANS Carl F. Sievers, Pontiac, Mich., assignor to Phillips Petroleum Company, a corporation of Delaware Application December 28, 1942, Serial No. 470,414

3 Claims.

This invention relates to means for attaching closures to receptacles and in its more specific aspects pertains to adjustable means for readily and. securely attaching protective caps, covers and the like to containers.

While the present invention may be advantageously employed to properly attach closures to a wide variety of vessels, it is particularly useful in securing protective covers to pressure containers customarily utilized for storing and transporting volatile liquids, such as normally "gaseous liquids. This description will therefore be directed to vessels of this type, by way of illustration, it being fully understood, however, that the invention shall not thereby be limited to this single application of the invention.

It is present practice to provide a container for compressed or liquefied gases with one or more fittings that carry necessary valves for introducing and subsequently withdrawing fluid material into and from the container. These fittings and valves generally project beyond the confines of the container making it mandatory that proper precautions be taken and adequate protection be provided lest the valves and fittings become damaged or broken while handling and while in transit. Should any such valve or fitting become damaged or broken, the fluid content of the container may and oftentimes does escape therethrough. This generally creates an extremely dangerous hazard to life and property. Many liquefied gases, including liquefied petroleum gases, are highly combustible and the accidental escape of such materials from their containers may cause destructive fires or explosions, resulting in costly property damage and injury or loss of life of persons in the vicinity.

A number of attempts have been made to remedy this condition by providing protective devices. To date these devices have not proven entirely satisfactory. Permanent protective devices are objectionable as they present obstacles in gaining access to the valves and fittings. Protective covers that have. been used heretofore have not been able to withstand normal wear without becoming impaired, the connectors employed therewith becoming defective to the extent that they must be periodically repaired or discarded after being used only a relatively few times.

The practice of my invention on the other hand eliminates many of the difiiculties experienced in the past as it contemplates closure attachment means which may be readily and ad J'ustablyattached to a vessel to securely fasten the protective closure to the vessel. Moreover, the apparatus of this invention may be subjected to normal or even unusua1 hard Wear without becoming damaged and thus being rendered ineffective for continued use. In its basic form, the instant invention includes flexible means, adjustable in length and adapted to engage a vessel and a protective cover therefor in a manner whereby the cover may be firmly abutted against the vessel and subsequently removed therefrom,

as desired. It has been adequately demonstrated that protective covers that are secured with my attachment means serve to perform their intended function in an efficient way. By virtue of the simple, rugged, and inexpensive design of my apparatus, long term, trouble-free wear may be obtained. Additionally, the structure of my invention may be readily employed with a wide variety of vessels and conversion from present attachment means to the means of this invention may be easily and inexpensively accomplished. It will be apparent, as this disclosure progresses, that no wrenches or other standard or special tools are needed to operate my attaching means as the same is adapted to be manually mounted .and adjusted with a minimum of skill and effort.

It is therefore the primary object of this invention to provide means whereby a closure may be readily and securely attached to a vessel.

This invention has for another object the pro- Vision of apparatus of the character indicated which is adapted to be employed with various sizes and shapes of containers.

A further object of this invention is to provide attachment mean for protective closures for containers, which means may be mounted and operated by hand and without the use of tools.

It is a still further object of my invention to provide closure attachment means which are simple in design, rug ed in construction and inexpensive inoriginal and maintenance costs.

The foregoing as well as other objects and advantages will be apparent to persons skilled in the art upon a perusal of the following detailed description and annexed drawings which respectively illustrate and describe several preferred embodiments Of the invention, and wherein Figure l is an elevation view of a cylindrical container of the type that is customarily employed to store and dispense fluids, including compressed and liquefied gases;

Figure 2 is an elevation view of a protective closure for the container of Figure 1 and illustrating attaching means suspended therefrom;

Figure 3 depicts the apparatus of Figures 1 and 2 assembled into a unitary structure;

Figure 4 is an elevation view of another embodiment of the invention that is similar to Figure 3;

Figure 5 is an elevation view of the apparatus of Figure 4, removed 90 degrees therefrom; and

Figures 6 and '7, are views of a third embodiment of the invention and corresponding to Figures 4 and 5, respectively.

Referring first to Figure 1 of the drawings I have depicted therein a cylindrical container l0 having a lower or bottom wall II and an upper or top wall I2. Extending downwardly of the bottom wall is a base ring flange I3. I have generally indicated the usual fittings and valves for filling and dispensing fluids into and from container it by reference numeral I4. It will be observed that said fittings and valves project up-' wardly and beyond the container.

A protective cap or closure I5, that is substantially cylindrical, as illustrated in Figures 2 to '7, inclusive, has an open base and is provided with a handle IS. The diameter of closure I5 is somewhat less than that of container ill but is sufiiciently large in order that it may be disposed in spaced relation to valves and fittings l4 when the same is mounted in abutting relation to top wall l2. Cover l5 of Figures 2 and 3 carries a plurality, preferably three, connectors, such as hasps or eyebolts H, which are spaced equidistant from each other. It will be noted that when three connectors are employed they are disposed 120 apart on the outer peripherial face of cover I5. A turnbuckle 18 carries an enlarged upper ring l9 for connection with connectors I1 and a second enlarged ring 20 for receiving the upper end of a chain 2|, which is provided with an open hook 22 at its opposite or lower end. Each of the chains 2! of Figures 2 and 3 is also provided with one or more snap hooks 23 which are adapted to engage the lower enlarged ring 20 of the turnbuckles.

In the practice of the invention, as illustrated in Figures 1, 2, and 3, cover [5 is placed upon top wall l2 of cylinder [0 and spaced from valves and fittings Hi. The cylinder is then tilted slightly in order to place each open hook 22 individually into engagement with the bottom edge of base flange l3. Any slack that is present in the chains is then taken up by manipulating the turnbuckles until cover [5 is firmly urged against top wall I2 of the container. By virtue of the above described arrangement and procedure, cover I5 is adapted to be properly maintained in spaced relation to valves and fittings l4 without any danger of the cap sliding around and thereby contacting and possibly damaging the valves and fittings.

If it is desired to use the cap and attachment mechanism of Figures 2 and 3 on a smaller cylinder than the one illustrated therein, the individual chains may be readily shortened in overall length by placing the proper snap hook 23 into engagement with enlarged ring 20 of the corresponding turnbuckle. In this manner a rough adjustment may be readily obtained and the final adjustment may then be made by manipulating turnbuckles l8.

Open hooks 22- may, in many cases, be applied directly to the bottom edge of flange base members l3. On the other hand there are instances when it is desirable to protect these hooks from becoming damaged or to simplify the attachment thereof, especially when the cylinders are heavy or cumbersome. In such cases a plurality of spaced notches 24 or slots 25 are provided in base flange l3 and are of adequate size and configuration to readily receive the ends of the open hooks.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figures 4 and 5 is essentially the same as that of Figures 2 and 3. This embodiment contemplates the use of a pair of chains, generally designated by numeral 26 and consisting of substantially equal length sections 21, which are joined by a ring 28 that carries an open hook 22. The free ends of chain 26 are connected to turnbuckles l8, as previously set forth in connection with the first described embodiment. A pair of cross chains 29 connect each section 21 of one chain 26 with the corresponding portion of the other chain. The cover is mounted and firmly aflixed to the container by arranging the same as shown in the drawings and by manipulating the turnbuckles I8.

The third embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in Figures 6 and 7, consists, in its basic aspects, of two continuous chains 30 which assume a more or less diamond shape when mounted in operative position. The upper part of each chain 30 is connected to the corresponding part of the other chain 30 which would be positioned directly opposite the chain 30, shown in Figure 6. This relationship will be readily understood by reference to both Figures 6 and 7. Cross chains 3| couple each of the closed chains 30 (see Figure 7). Said cross chains 3| each contain a turnbuckle 32 for facilitating the adjustment.

It should be borne in mind that the embodiments of the invention illustrated in Figures 4-7, inclusive, may likewise be provided with snap hooks 23 of the first embodiment in order to provide for the ready adjustment of the attaching means for different size containers.

From the foregoing it is believed that the construction and advantages of my present invention will be readily comprehended by persons skilled in the art. It is to be clearly understood, however, that various changes in the apparatus may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

"1. Closure securing means adapted to removably attach a protective closure to a vessel comprising a plurality of chains adapted to be secured to the exterior of the closure and the vessel, and means coupled to each chain intermediate the ends thereof for obtaining non-yielding adjustment of the effective length of said chains whereby the closure is adapted to be maintained in substantially immovable relation to the vessel, at least a portion of each of said chains being so positioned as to be generally V-shaped at the point of attachment to the vessel.

2. Closure securing means adapted to removably attach a protective closure on a closed container having a cylindrical side wall, a top wall and a base, comprising a plurality of chains, the ends of which are adapted to be fastened to the closure, a hook coupled to each chain intermediate the ends thereof and adapted to engage the base of the container, and adjustable means connected to adjacent chains whereby the closure is adapted to be substantially immovably secured to the container, said chains and adjustable means being so positioned that at least a portion of each chain is generally V-shaped and having.

the corresponding hook at the apex thereof at the point of attachment to the vessel.

3. Closure securing means adapted to removably attach a protective closure on a closed container having a cylindrical side wall, a top wall and a base, comprising a pair of chain means adapted toengage the closure and the container and be so arranged with respect thereto as to form a pair of generally diamond-shaped continuous chains constituting a V-shaped lower portion and 10 

